UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government, and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

BPPS’s Hubs on Nature, Climate, Energy and Waste, with the support of the Vertical Fund Programme Support, Oversight and Compliance Unit, works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate nature, climate, energy and waste related concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies, support country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements, and oversee the implementation of the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country programming nature, climate change, energy and waste.

The newly established UNDP Climate Hub is the arrowhead of UNDP’s commitment to the “Climate Promise” that aims to support programming countries designing and implementing pledges under the Paris Agreement, including ambitious National Determined Contributions, with climate change mitigation and adaptation interventions fully embedded in the national development planning and budgetary processes. The Climate Hub will build on UNDP’s existing over USD 4 billion country-level climate portfolio on Climate Change Policies and Strategies, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Climate and Forests, covering over 142 countries, as well as on UNDP’s Nature portfolio, UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub, UNDP’s Digital offer and other relevant portfolios on youth, gender, health, climate security among others.

The UNDP Climate Hub is responsible for:

• Thought leadership on Climate and to be the custodian of UNDP policy positions on Climate;
• Strategy and vision formulation;
• Pipeline development in coordination with the other hubs and the Vertical Fund Programme Support, Oversight and Compliance Unit;
• Provision of integrated policy and programme support to Country Offices;
• Global engagement, advocacy in collaboration with BERA;
• Integration across thematic areas;
• Strategic Partnerships development and resource mobilization;
• Lead and Support global flagship initiatives and partnerships on Climate;
• Serve as focal point with relevant UN coordination mechanisms and Conventions (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change);
• Cross-organization knowledge and learning; and
• Innovation.

The Policy Specialist (Knowledge Management) will report directly to the Global Knowledge Management and Learning Specialist. S/he will be part of the larger Climate Strategies and Policy team.

• Support implementation of CPST knowledge management strategy, including quality assurance of CPST knowledge and communications products: 
  • Provide guidance and support to CSPT technical staff on development of knowledge products;
  • Support strategic planning and quality assurance of CSPT knowledge product pipeline and outputs;
  • Update knowledge management SOPs, as required;
  • Support quality assurance and technical review of CSPT communications pipeline;
  • Ensure alignment of knowledge products with CPST and UNDP corporate knowledge strategies and UNDP’s strategic plan

• Leverage the breadth and expertise of UNDP to demonstrate the power of the Climate Promise:
  • Support analysis of trends, scenarios, and emerging challenges related to NDC ambition and implementation, including lasting inclusivity;
  • Advance UNDP’s global thought leadership and contribution to global policy debates through coordination/leadership of world-class thought leadership products and reports;
  • Undertake analysis of Climate Promsie results and portfolio to identify emerging trends and codify good practices;
  • Engage in ongoing codification of thought leadership process through blogs, briefs, webinars, and other relevant knowledge products;
  • Draft, review and provide feedback to evidence-based research;
  • Liaise with, and foster, cross-cutting knowledge generation, across the GPN.

• Research internal and external environment for relevant knowledge content:
  • Research trends, scenarios, and emerging challenges related to NDC ambition and implementation, including lasting inclusivity;
  • Research and disseminate new information, analysis, and policy recommendations related to the nexus of climate and development issues, in the context of Agenda 2030.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation